56th Street in OPH closes permanently

Published September 18, 2013 at 11:52 am

Beach Road bridge removal begins this month

Plans call for the old Beach Road bridge to be dismantled starting later this month. The work is not expected to result in any closures of Minnesota 36. Work continues on the new Beach Road bridge just west of the old span. (Gazette staff photos by Erik Sandin)

The section of 56th Street North in Oak Park Heights that connected to Minnesota 95 is closed permanently as part of the St. Croix Crossing bridge project, officials announced this week.

Project officials also said motorists can expect short-term partial closures of Lookout Trail later this month so crews can finish utility work. During those closures, residents can access Lookout Trail from Upper 61st Street, but Lookout Trail access to and from MN 95 will be closed.

Other traffic impacts include a single lane in each direction on temporary pavement on MN 95 between 10th Avenue North and Minnesota 36 through the fall so crews can realign and reconstruct MN 95.

Other project-related work includes:

Beach Road bridge removal
Crews begin removing sections of the old Beach Road bridge this month as construction continues on a new Beach Road overpass just west of the old span. The westbound ramp to MN 36 remains open but is expected to close later this fall. No full closures of MN 36 are expected due to bridge removal.

Pier foundations
Overnight work on bridge pier foundations continues through December. Noise associated with nighttime work is similar to noise associated with daytime work. Crews will work 24 hours a day starting Sunday nights through daytime Saturdays.

Learn how the new bridge foundations are being built in the seven “easy” steps slide show under the construction/design tab at www.mndot.gov/stcroixcrossing.

River boaters are reminded that the no-wake zone for worker safety and equipment stability remains in effect and buoys between Bayport and Stillwater designate the boating channel in the construction zone.

Overlook re-opens
The Lake St. Croix Scenic Overlook off Lookout Trail near Peabody Avenue has re-opened, but access to the site will be limited at times due to periodic closures of Lookout Trail. A grand opening is planned for October when the overlook is fully accessible.

The overlook was designated a historically significant site and rebuilt as part of bridge project mitigation work.